Somebody That I Used To Know

Label

Eleven: A Music Company

Genre

Alt-Pop

Media Type

AC

Duration

4:04

Composer(s)

Wally De Backer

Entered Chart

Jan 21, 2012

Peak Date

Apr 28, 2012

Released

5 July 2011

Recorded

January–May 2011

"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced and performed by the Australian singer-songwriter Gotye, featuring vocals from the New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand through Eleven Music on 5 July 2011 as the second single from Gotye's third studio album, Making Mirrors (2011). It was later released by Universal Music in December 2011 in the United Kingdom, and 20 January 2012 in Ireland and the United States. "Somebody That I Used to Know" was written and recorded by Gotye at his parents' house on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia, and is lyrically related to the experiences he has had with romantic relationships. The song is a mid-tempo ballad. It samples Luiz Bonfá's instrumental "Seville" from his album, Luiz Bonfá Plays Great Songs (1967)[1] with percussion over a xylophone melody from the Joseph Cooper and Sinfonia of London 1961 LP A Child's Introduction to the Instruments of the Orchestra[2] which is based on "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".[3] Lyrically, the song describes the aftermath of a romantic relationship from both members’ perspectives.[4] Commercially, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was a global success and became both artists' signature song. It reached the top of the charts in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as 25 other official charts, and reached the top 10 in more than 30 countries. It was the most commercially successful recording of 2011 in Flanders (Belgium), the most successful of 2012 in Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, the United States and Wallonia (Belgium), and the most successful of the 2010s decade by an Australian artist in Australia. It is certified multi-platinum in ten countries, including diamond in Australia. Globally, "Somebody That I Used to Know" has sold more than 13 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling digital singles ever. In addition to the Hot 100, it was also placed at the top of Billboard's Year-End Adult Top 40 and Alternative Airplay charts, and many other charts around the world. As of October 2024, it has been streamed more than 2.3 billion times on Spotify. The song won the Triple J Hottest 100 poll at the end of 2011 as well as ARIA Music Awards for Song of the Year and Best Video; Kimbra was voted "Best Female Artist" while Gotye was named "Best Male Artist" and "Producer of the Year". At the 55th Grammy Awards, "Somebody That I Used to Know" was awarded Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. The song has also been performed several times on major American television shows including The Voice, American Idol and Saturday Night Live. In 2025 the song was voted 10th in the Triple J Hottest 100 of Australian Songs.In 2025, rapper Doechii sampled the song on "Anxiety", which also earned various Grammy nominations.

Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No, you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Somebody (I used to know)
(Somebody) now you're just somebody that I used to know
Somebody (I used to know)
(Somebody) now you're just somebody that I used to know
I used to know, that I used to know, I used to know somebody